Animal-trap.



B. F. HOFFMAN.

ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-16. 1915.

1,144,545. Patented June 29, 1915.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR THE NORRIS PETERS CQ. PHOTO-LITHO. WASHINGTON. D. C.

. BYRON F. HOFFMAN, OF BYRON, CALIFORNIA.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1915.,

Application filed March 16, 1915. Serial No. 14,713.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BYRON F. HOFFMAN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Byron, in the county ofContra Costa and State of California, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Animal-Traps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in traps designed for thedestruction of noxious and burrowing animals and the like; and itconsists in a novel construction and mounting of a gun and means bywhich it may be discharged by the movement of the animal from within themouth of the burrow, at which point the gun is located, so that its shotwill be directed to destroy the approaching animal.

It also consists in details of construction which will be more fullydescribed by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1is a perspective view of the trap set and ready for discharge. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal, vertical section.

In the drawings, A is the barrel of a gun, the rear end of which issecured to and removable from a breech piece B formed or secured upon aplate 1 which extends transversely between parallel side plates C, thus30 forming a mounting for the operating mechanism. The breech piece maybe made sufficiently deep to receive and guide a firing pin 1 slidablein line with a cartridge and normally retracted by a spring, as shown.

2 is a hammer having a thumb-piece 2 at the rear, and a trigger piece2*, at the opposite side of the fulcrum point. The hammer is mountedcentrally on a shaft 2 which is journaled between the side plates C insuch a position that it may be turned by a surrounding coil spring tocause the hammer to strike the firing pin 1 and discharge the cartridge.The hammer may be retracted and when this is done the trigger 2 iscaused to engage a plate 3 which is formed eccentrically on a shaft 3*,which shaft is journaled in the side plates C and has a downwardlyturned arm 4 outside of one of 50 the plates. This arm may be turned soas to carry the plate 3 far enough to allow the trigger piece 2 to pass,after which this piece may be restored to a position to engage thetrigger 2 and prevent its moving 55 to release the hammer. The lowerswinging end of the arm 4 is engaged to lock it when the hammer israised and the part 2) is engaged with the holding plate 3, by one arm 5of a bell-crank lever, the angle of which is fulcrumed to a projection Cfrom the bottom of the side plate C. The other arm 6 of this leverprojects upwardly and has connected with it a rod 7 which is slidablethrough a guide 8 fixed to the end of the barrel A. The rod 7 is bent toform a loop or stop 9 in line with the barrel A.

When the hammer 2 is withdrawn and the trigger is engaged with the plate3, the arm 4: may be engaged with the lever 5 and the stop 9 is movedaway from the gun muzzle, thus holding the parts in place and the hammerretracted. The muzzle of the gun is introduced into the burrow with theparts in position, as stated, and the device may be secured by means ofpins 10 extending from the sides C and capable of being forced into theground to prevent movement of the trap. When the gopher or other animalapproaches the trap, he pushes earth along the burrow and this earthcontacting with the stop 9 causes the rod 7 to slide back and tilts thebell-crank lever so as to release the arm 4, and allow the plate 3 toturn and release the trigger 2 so that the hammer 2 may fall upon thefiring pin and discharge the cartridge and kill the animal approachingwithin the burrow.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. An animal trap comprising side plates and atransverse front plate, a breech block containing a firing pin andsecured to the transverse plate, a gun barrel removably attached to thebreech block and adapted to receive a cartridge, a hammer mounted upon aspring-actuated shaft journaled in the side plates, said hammer carryingatrigger, a second shaft having an eccentric cam adapted to engage thetrigger when the of which said arm may engage, aaslidably guided rodparallel with the barrel and con-,

nected with the other arm of the bell-crank lever, and a stop platecarried by the outer end of the sliding rod acting under exteriorpressure to move the rod and disengage the lever from the triggerretaining cam shaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

BYRON F. HOFFMAN.

Witnesses i R. R. HoUsToN, E. R. FREY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

